An Eclare Story Part 1
by KateyKitKat
Summary: We all know there's a spark between Eli and Clare. And this is my thoughts on what could be.  Your reviews are highly appreciated, tell me what you like, tell me what you don't like.
1. Chapter 1

I brushed my thumb along the bottom of Eli's lower lip. It was cut, deep; Which angered me, that somebody did this to his perfectly lopsided lips.

"What happened?" I asked, bringing my hand back down to my side.

"Cops had to break up the fight. And somebody put the name of a convicted arsonist on Fitz's fake ID. OOPS!" He rolled his eyes with a smirk on his face, "He'll be spending a few hours at the cop shop."

"Who had him arrested?" I began walking forward, with Eli following close behind.

"He'll be out as soon as they clear up the mistaken identity. Let's just say that I'd rather be feared by Fitz than liked." He said, in a somewhat offended voice.

"So that's it?" I asked.

"Yeah. What'd you expect?" He asked.

"I don't know. I was just on my way to Simpson's office to express concern over your mental stability." I said, hoping that my sarcasm would lighten up the mood.

"Clare, give me some credit. Worse that happens he gets busted for fake ID possession, _might _have to go to court," He said, my sarcasm not changing a thing.

"And what if Fitz tells the cops where he got it?" I questioned.

"His word against mine," He sounded confident that nothing could go wrong. That was one of the many things I liked and hated about Eli, he didn't really care for consequences; It wasn't his _style. _

"He's gonna be pretty mad."

Eli looked over my shoulder, "Speak of the devil."

I turned my head to see Fitz approaching us. I then quickly stood behind Eli, not to get in their way.

"Good one, Eli. You got me," Fitz said.

Eli, looking up, right into Fitz's eyes, "You do realize that ID was just for novelty purposes only." His signature sarcasm.

"I'll have to tell that to the judge," Fitz said.

"Hope you've learned your lesson."

"Too bad for you I'm a slow learner," threatened Fitz, breaking in between Eli and me to push Eli more out of the way.

Eli had that smirk I adored so much planted on his face. He then ran his finger across his forehead, sweeping his bangs back to the side.

"So what now? You two at war?" I asked.

"I'm in his head. Right where I want to be," Eli said, still with a smirk on his face.


	2. Chapter 2

I just had awakened, looking at the clock on my iPod dock, it read 10:34. It's Saturday and I have nothing planned. Greatttt. Maybe Alli would want to meet up at The Dot, but she's probably too busy with her latest boy toy, Drew. Hmm. Maybe Wesley-Never mind, that's just a bad idea. Who am I kidding? The only person I would really want to see is Eli. I used to love weekends, to get away from all the drama Degrassi brings. But ever since I was assigned Eli as an English partner, I've loved being at school.

Eli makes my stomach flip whenever I see him, which really hasn't ever happened to be-Well maybe with Declan but that was all just a fantasy. And K.C. never really _paid _attention to me. I'm just not sure if me and Eli would be good as more than friends. We're just _so _different, but it always keeps me on my toes. But are we too different or are we different enough that we'd be perfect for each other? Wow. This is pretty early for my hopelessly romantic mind to be taking over.

I slumped out of bed and walked to my bathroom, then down to the kitchen to find my mom cooking up eggs, and toast popping out of the toaster. It wasn't out of the ordinary to have my dad missing from the picture. He's been at work a lot lately, meaning I really only see him when he comes home for dinner. This has really been taking a toll on my mom, but they've been talking about it and would rather try to make things than separate completely. Which I'm happy about, but it still feels like nothing has really changed.

I sat down at the table, and my mom put down my breakfast in front of me and then sat down.

"Morning sweetie. Anything planned for today? Will you be needing any rides?" She asked, stirring her coffee.

I sighed; must I be reminded of my lonely Saturday to come? "Nope. I may just walk down to The Dot for fries or something. See if Alli's there."

"Ahh, okay. But if you need a ride, you can just ask," She said with a motherly grin.

"Thanks mom," I replied, also smiling.

And that was it for the talking. Lately, my family hasn't really been up for conversation. I just ate my toast, and my mom drank her coffee. I cleared the table and went back to my room. I got dressed as I waited for my laptop to turn on; Maybe I could work on my writing, anything to distract me. As my laptop logged onto my homepage, my IM automatically popped up. I looked at my buddy list. Eli was on.

**clare-e23**: i would think 11:52 would be a little early for Dr Doom to be awake!

**eli-gold49: **good morning to you too Clare! yeah, i didn't sleep much last night

**clare-e23: **awww, sorry. so anyways, how's your lip?

**eli-gold49: **why don't you come over and see for yourself?

**clare-e23: **is that another invitation? lol

**eli-gold49: **sure except i'm not joking, you should come over

_Excuse me God for my language, _but he sure as hell better not be kidding around even though he just said he wasn't….

**clare-e23: **really?

**eli-gold49: **yeah, you still have my address rite? come over any time

Okay. He's not just being sarcastic. And of course I still had his address. He gave it to me when he came over to give me those headphones. He had handed me a thickly folded up piece of paper and told me that if things got worse with my parents and needed to talk, that he would be there for me.

**clare-e23: **uhh, yeah i still have it! Well i guess i'll see u soon


	3. Chapter 3

I have never been so nervous and excited to go over to somebody's house before. I guess its cause Eli Goldsworthy just isn't _somebody, _he's so much more than that. As I got ready to head over to his house, thoughts of Eli seemed to cloud my judgment. It took me 3 tries to correctly put on my jeans. Before, when I changed, it was just into sweats since I thought I was gonna be home all day…Anyways, after I was properly clothed, I grabbed my cell phone and Eli's address and headed downstairs.

"Hey mom, I'm going to a friend's. I don't need a ride though, it's pretty nice out and I want to walk," said to my mom who was reading a magazine on the couch.

"Ohh, are you sure? It looks like there's a bit of an overcast," She said looking out the window.

Despite the clouds, I wanted to walk. I wanted some time to think and compose myself.

"Yeah, don't worry about it mom! And I don't know how late I'll be but I'll be back for dinner. I have my cell phone," I said, hitting the bulge created from my phone in my pocket.

"Okay, Clare bear. Have fun, oh wait…Whose house are you going to again?" She asked. Drat. I was hoping she wouldn't ask. I didn't want her to read much into this.

"Umm. My friend Eli, he's my English partner….And…We have a partner project we need to work on," I lied, why have my mom make a huge fuss? I just wanted to get to Eli's.

"Ahh, don't you need to bring anything or is everything already at his house?" She questioned.

"Yeah, mom, everything's there. Well I really have to go, bye!" I said quickly, I think my mom replied with a goodbye but I was out of there too fast to even take it in. I unfolded the piece of paper with Eli's address on it; It should take me about 10 minutes to get to his house.

About halfway in my trip over, I really regretted walking. That overcast that I wasn't worried about turned into a heavy rain. Well there went any make-up that I had put on. I had started to walk a little faster, just to get out of this freezing rain. I probably should've just walked back home, got redressed and had my mom drive me but I really wanted to see Eli. I wanted to see him so badly, that it would be worth having him seeing me like _this_. After a couple more minutes of walking, I got to his house. I saw that Morty parked in the driveway, probably because it didn't fit in the garage. I walked up the steps to the front door, and rang the bell. Shortly after, he opened up the door…

"Why hello there Clare Edwards, nice of you to show," He said in his signature sarcastic voice, "Did you go in my mom's bird bath or something on your way up?" He asked playfully, looking at my wet attire, "Here, come on in before you get anymore wet, if that's possible," He added, closing the door after I stepped in.


	4. Chapter 4

"Hey, Eli. I see your lip is a little better," I laughed, "I would've gone back and changed but I thought that since I was already practically here…" I managed to say, I was just too cold to really process my thoughts.

"Ohhh, that's fine Clare. Follow me, we'll go down to my room and you can wear something of mine and here's the best part….They're dry!" He said sarcastically, referring to his clothes. I managed to giggle a little. He then grabbed my wrist; his touch was so warm on my cold and wet skin. It felt good. He lead me downstairs and into his bedroom. He let go and started looking through his closet, grabbing me a long sleeve Dead Hand tee and a pair of black sweats.

"Eli Goldsworthy, owning a pair of sweat pants?" I asked jokingly, relatively shocked. He seemed to have such a put together sense of style.

He smiled, "Yeah, I sometimes sleep in them," The thought of wearing something that Eli has slept in made me smile a little. "Well I'll let you change in here and I'll wait outside, I hear you girls like your privacy!" He said, laughing. I laughed too.

"Where'd you hear such a thing?" I joked, taking the clothes from his hands, "Thanks again, Eli." He smiled as he closed the door behind him. As I changed into dry clothes, I examined Eli's room; Surprisingly, the walls weren't black, they were denim blue with tons of Dead Hand posters. The blanket on his bed was black, probably making up for the blue walls. Along with the bed, a dresser, and desk took up most of his room. After I was done changing, I took my wet clothes in one hand and opened the door with the other.

"How do I look?" I asked jokingly with my hands on my hips.

He smiled and said, "You look great, like always."

I grinned back at him, getting caught up in the moment. Then I realized that my whole body was shaking, I was still freezing from the rain.

Eli reached out his hand and took my wet clothes, "Here, I will go throw these in the dryer and then maybe we can warm you up a bit. Be right back." When he came back, a fluffy red blanket was in his hand, "Want to go watch a movie or something? I can see in I have Fortnight!" He said with teasingly wide eyes.

"Sure! A movie would be great," I said as Eli walked over to a shelf stocked with DVDs, he picked one out and popped it in. He then opened up the blanket and held it wide with both hands, inviting me to come over so he could wrap me up in the blanket. He then sat down on the couch and patted on the cushion next to him. I waddled my way over to him and sat down.

"Here, put your legs up and you can rest your head on my shoulder," He told me, while looking at me with his stunning green eyes. I wiggled my way closer to him, setting my cheek more on his chest than his shoulder. He then wrapped his right hand my cocoon of a blanket, "Now, how's that feel? You warming up?" He asked, genuinely concerned.

"Yes," I whispered, "Thanks you!" I could feel my heat being restored, "So hey," I started, struggling to look up at him, "If anyone asks, we're working on a partner project for English class," I said with a cheesy wink, "My mom would of mom would have made a huge deal if it were otherwise."

"Clare Edwards," He paused, "Lying to come over to _my_ house? I've taught you well!" He joked. I laughed and he joined in, I felt his whole chest shaking with laughter. The movie then started playing, and by the sound of the opening music, this was going to be a scary movie.


	5. Chapter 5

I hate scary movies. The only reason I'll probably be able to bear through this one is because I've got Eli's arm around me. I'm almost embarrassed just thinking about what I'll do when something scary happens; I'm very unpredictable when it comes to this kinda thing.

"Ahhh, I haven't watched this movie in SO long! Ever seen it?" He asked, looking down into my eyes.

I nudged my cheek just a little deeper into his shoulder so I could get a better look at him and said, "Umm, no I haven't! I'm actually not really into scary movies…"

"Ohh, well I can put in a different movie if ya want me to," He offered.

"No, no! It's fine! Only if you promise not to laugh at me when I scream…" I said somewhat sarcastically, even though I knew in fact I would be screaming at one point or another.

His eyebrows flickered upwards, in a sort of cocky manner, "I won't. I'll protect you," He replied. My heart just radiated with warmth. Maybe it had something to do with the blanket, but more because of the smirk planted on Eli's face. "Don't worry, it doesn't get too scary for awhile," He reassured me.

About halfway through the movie, it really started to pick up. My heart started to race as one of the girls in the movie ran for her life. I think Eli could feel my beating heart for he started to hold on to me tighter and tighter. All of a sudden, the screen on the TV went black, and then the image of a freaky clown murder filled the screen. I'm pretty sure I forgot how to breathe. Eli chuckled at my reaction, "You're okay Clare! Breathe…." He said, inhaling. I did as he said and he laughed, I looked up and our eyes locked for what seemed to be hours. The sound of screaming from the TV brought us back down to reality.


	6. Chapter 6

Okay, this movie got scarier, and I'm not just saying that cause I hate scary movies. It got so scary that even Eli jumped a couple times, and I didn't think much could scare him. Other than being scared half to death, me and Eli talked and laughed about the occasionally cheesy moments in the movie. Being with him, it felt easy as breathing. Throughout the movie, I would look up to him, to see that he was actually sitting there with me. I felt that at any moment, I would wake up, struggling to remember this so-called dream. Every time I would do so, he'd look down, his eyes capturing mine.

I started to get really hot under the covers but I liked being snuggled up to Eli. I liked that he had his arm around me, I like that my cheek was planted to his chest. With the hand that was around me, he started to move his thumb back and forth. I could slightly feel it through the blanket, but it felt more like a tickle. The giggles stayed inside of me, my heart all of a sudden bursting with heat. It felt like I sipping on a cup of hot chocolate. It seemed as though my heart slowed, beating in rhythm for the first time while being here. I felt secure. Like nothing would break his hold onto me.

We continued watching the movie and all of a sudden, I found myself screaming and burying my face into Eli's neck. His bare skin was so silky and warm. I didn't even realize how I got there. It's like my brain slowed down, my actions happening before I could really think of doing them.

"I'll turn it off, I'll turn it off! The ending's overrated anyway….." He said, with my head still nestled in his neck, I felt him lean over to grab the remote. When I heard the silence of the TV being shut off, I pulled away from Eli's body just a little. Close enough that I could feel his warm breath on my face.

"Sorry about that. Yeah, scary movies are not my thing," I said, feeling the redness creeping onto my cheeks.

Eli pulled my curly bangs away from my eyes, making my heart skip a beat. "Clare, don't worry about it," He said, reassuring me with a smirk. "I honestly don't mind, just two friends watching a scary movie together," He added in a somewhat dull tone. _Friends. I needed it to be more than that._

I looked into his glinting emerald eyes, "Eli." I paused, "Do you ever think we could be…Be more than friends?" I asked. I have no idea where the confidence to ask him came from, but I had to do it. I needed an answer, my heart longed for it.


	7. Chapter 7

His eyes flickered. My heart thumped unsteadily.

His face lightened up, "I do think we could be more than friends. I'm just surprised that you're the one to be asking…" He trailed off, looking down.

This confused me, "What are you talking about?"

"I didn't really think you saw me in that way. I thought I was the one with the schoolgirl crush…" He said jokingly, but I understood what he was saying.

"Really?" I asked shockingly.

"Yes, Clare. You remember that day we skipped English? And we were joking around when you walked me into that light pole?" He asked, I nodded, "Well at the single-handed moment, something lit up in me. You made me feel…You made me feel…" He struggled to find the words, "Well I can't really even begin to describe the feeling…" He trailed off, looking up to see my reaction.

Our eyes met and I moved my face closer to his, he did the same. And then it happened. Our lips met for the first time. His soft, lopsided lips. He brought his hand to my face, his thumb on my cheek and the rest of his fingers behind my ear. It felt as though an ice cube was sliding down my spine, the weird thing was, that the feeling wasn't cold.

As we pulled apart for air, my lips curled into a smile. He pressed his forehead to mine, his thumb tracing circles on my cheek. Eli then lightly pressed his lips to mine, a quick peck. But I didn't want his lips to leave mine, so I leaned in, kissing him before he had even opened his eyes from the previous kiss. After a minute or so, we separated.

"How bout we get you out of that blanket?" He asked, probably feeling how warm I was from caressing my face.

"Oh yeah," Was all I managed to say, I had almost forgot my arms being bound by the soft blanket. He got up from the couch, and then lifted me up, holding on to the end of the blanket. I twirled my way out of it, and once I was free, I stumbled into Eli. He then wrapped his arms around my lower back, locking his fingers together. I put my hands on his shoulders to balance myself.

"Seems like you forget all your coordination skills when you're with me!" He proclaimed with a low chuckle.

That made me grin, "Maybe you just know how to sweep a girl off her feet?"

"I've been known to do so," He said in a sarcastically cocky voice.

I giggled. "Hey, this might be a really weird time to be asking, but where are your parents?"

"Ohh," He said with a laugh, "They're at a company dinner for my dad's work. I'll introduce you next time you're over," He answered. _Ohh, so they'll be more times like this?_ Also, the thought of him wanting me to meet his parents made me blush a little. He smiled and leaned in for another kiss, it was a short but lasting kiss. "So are you getting hungry? We could go see what we have to eat," He asked me. Now that I had thought of it, yeah, I was starving!

"Yeah, but wait, what time is it? Uh oh. I forgot my phone in your room! I had to be home for dinner!" I shrieked, worried that my mom would be angry. She hates when I don't answer my phone. Eli let go of his hold on me, freeing me to go retrieve my phone. I walked in his room and there it was, on his bed. I flipped it open, 3 missed calls. _Wonderful_. I hit redial and waited for my mom's answer. I walked back out of Eli's room, finding him sitting back down; I joined him.

"Clare! You have a phone so that I can reach you! Why haven't you been answering?" My mom cried on the other end.

"Sorry mom! Me and Eli were working on…On….Our poster and I lost my phone under all the construction paper," I lied, looking over at Eli who was giving me a thumbs up and a wink. I smiled.

My mom sighed, "Clare, dinner is going to be ready in 15 minutes. Be home by then."

_15 minutes?_ I wanted to stay here with Eli forever. "Okay, mom. See you then, sorry again!" I replied, the phone going dead shortly afterwards.

"Need a ride?" Eli asked, with a smug look on his face.

"Yeah! That'd be great!" I exclaimed. More time with Eli; Even if it'd only be like 5 minutes in Morty. He got up and extended his hand towards me, I grabbed it, getting up from the couch.

He had came down holding my wrist, and now we're going up holding hands. The progress we've made in the course of a few hours made my heart flutter.


	8. Chapter 8

Having our hands intertwined was more warming than that blanket I was just wrapped in. His rings did dig into my skin a little, but I didn't feel much of it. My body felt numb, like I was floating up the stairs. Once upstairs, we headed towards the door. Eli let go of my hand to slip on his black sneakers. When he let go, it was like I fell down from heaven, brought back down to earth. I then looked down at my still damp shoes which reminded me, "Eli, could you go get my clothes out of the dryer?"

He looked up at me, "Sure! I will be right back," He said, now heading down a hallway. He was back shortly afterwards and handed me my wrinkled clothes, "And you can just bring my clothes to school or whatever, doesn't matter to me," He exclaimed, looking at his beloved Dead Hand shirt.

I chuckled as he opened the door and we headed to the hearse, "No. You're not getting these back," I joked, pinching his shirt then letting go of it.

He stopped walking, "Do you want a ride home?" He threatened sarcastically.

Boy, he sure does know how to make me laugh. "Yes…" I replied in a very innocent and seductive way. He smiled and tilted his head, staring at me for a moment. Eli then walked over to the passenger door and opened it, waving for me to get in, "Well thank you Mr. Goldsworthy," I said with a grin, he laughed with a wide smile. He closed the door then hopped in the hearse himself, and we were on our way. It was my first time being in his hearse. Surprisingly, it wasn't as dark and dreary as I thought it'd be. The seats were covered with light grey leather upholstery and there was a XM radio on the dash board, which looked robotic compared to the other vintage buttons. Let's just say, I felt very much alive in here sitting next Eli Goldsworthy.

My eyes stayed glued to him. I took notice of the way he squinted his eyes while pulling out of the driveway. The way he delicately yet forcefully gripped the steering wheel. He seemed to be almost bouncing as driving down the quiet road.

"Eli, can I ask you something?"

"Ya just did, blue eyes," He said, smiling. I loved his cute little nickname he had for me. "But yeah, of course you can. Ask me anything," He said, answering seriously this time.

I let out a breath, "If I hadn't said anything about us being more than friends today, would…..Would _you_ have said something?" I asked, looking for a reaction on his face. _Nothing_. He just stared intently at the wheel as we came to a stop sign. I could tell we wouldn't be moving until another car approached from behind.

"Maybe. I don't know. I probably would've wanted to say something," He answered finally, "I'm not really good when it comes to telling somebody how I feel. I guess I've just always driven people away," He exhaled, "Maybe it has something to do with the hearse," He said, adding sarcasm into his otherwise serious answer. I didn't know what else to say, so I just looked at him, his head still forwards. He then turned to me, our eyes connecting. Looking into his fierce emerald eyes, I felt like I was lying on freshly cut grass.

Still starring into each other's eyes, it felt like nothing more was meant to be said. I felt as though, just looking into his eyes was enough for me. I was so breathtakingly happy that I couldn't help but flash him a smile. We must be on the same for he grinned, too. Then, I leaned over to him, putting one hand on the arm of my seat and the other curled around Eli's neck.

An inch away from his face, "Well, then I'm really glad I said something," I whispered, referring to our previous conversation. He smiled even more then touched his lips to mine. He had such a soft and subtle feel in his kisses, completely opposite from his hard exterior. The sound of an engine coming from behind forced us to separate. We must've been sitting at that stop sign for 5 minutes. It would be worth being late to dinner.

Eli stepped on the gas and slid his right hand onto mine, tracing circles around my knuckles. It tickled but the light touch of his thumb felt so nice.

I wish today didn't have to end. _God, I know you're up there. Please, make this day last a lifetime._ But soon enough, we pulled into my driveway. _Gee, thanks God. _My dad's car was parked on driveway, too.

"Shoot. My dad's home. That means I'm really late," I said, concerned. I looked over to Eli, "It was worth it though."

He smiled, "Well then I'll let you be going," He pulled his hand off of mine to brush my bangs to the side, kissing my forehead, "Bye, blue eyes," He whispered, only an inch or two away from me face.

"Bye," I whispered back at him with a smile. I got out with my clothes in my hands, waving as Eli backed out of the driveway. I could see a smile radiating on his face. I stood there until I couldn't see Morty anymore, and then went inside.


	9. Chapter 9

Of course my parents yelled at me and gave me a speech about family dinners are special and should be cherished and blah, blah, blaaahhhh. I had zoned them out during dinner, I was too happy to pay attention to anything but my own thoughts…Which were filled with Eli. I wanted to see him again, every minute without him felt like a lifetime. But tomorrow's Sunday, which is 'family day' not that apparently applies to my dad. So, I wouldn't be able see Eli until school on Monday. _Talk about separation anxiety much?_ I guess I could call Eli tomorrow, but it still wouldn't be the same.

At around 10 I had said goodnight to my parents for the night. I wanted to lie in my bed and just think. Get some peace and quiet. I was still in Eli's Dead Hand tee, but took off the sweats and put on some pajama shorts. I lied on my bed with my head hanging off the edge; the blood running through to my head helped me think I guess. Downstairs, I could hear my parents going at it again. But they were getting better, this wasn't a full-fledged argument. I wasn't really tired so I decided to tidy up around my room; Put clothes into my dresser, put away books and magazines, stuff like that. The next time I looked at the clock, it was 11:13. My parents were in bed by now and the house was quiet. The only thing I could hear were the leaves on the tree right outside my window rustling through the breeze. I still wasn't tired enough to go asleep, so instead I just hung my head over the side of the bed again and closed my eyes.

I must've been like that for awhile because I started to get kind of dizzy, but not dizzy enough that I wanted to get up. I liked laying there, thinking of Eli and everything that happened today.

I also started imagining things too because I started hearing this really odd tapping noise on my window. I was too dizzy to even open my eyes and look at the window, it was probably a bug or maybe it was raining. Then the tapping stopped, _it was just a bug_. I then heard a little bit of a louder thud, but it didn't last long. I suppose it was a few minutes before I heard _it._

Suddenly, I heard a knock on my window. Even though it was light knock, it sounded like thunder in the pure silence. I somehow found the strength to pull my head up and look out the window. What I saw were emerald eyes and a lopsided smirk. _Eli. _

For a minute, I stared at him, frozen. _First, what is he doing here? Second, how is he this high up? My room's on the second floor. And third, am I the luckiest girl in the world or what?_ _Ohh, this is probably a dream. I fell asleep! _Eli tapped on the window again, as if to wake me out of my trance. _Not dreaming._ I got up from my bed, walked over to my window then knelt down so Eli and I would be at eye level.

"What. Are. You. Doing. Here?" I asked, after opening my window.

"Nice seeing you, too!" He said sarcastically. How could he be sarcastic this late? I looked over my shoulder; my iPod dock read 12:02.

"I mean, yeah, I'm glad to see you but its midnight…..And what are you standing on?" I questioned.

He laughed, apparently amused with my reaction, "I'm standing on a ladder. It fit very conveniently in Morty!" Okay, I had to giggle at that one. "See, there's the smile I was looking for!" He said, lightly poking my nose. _Could this moment be anymore perfect? _Eli then gently leaned forward and caressed my lips with his. _Yes. This moment just got more perfect. _I felt like Rapunzel. I wrapped my hand around his head, running my fingers through his shiny, black hair. After a minute or so, we moved away from each other for some air. As I did so, I began to giggle. "What?" Eli asked, concerned he did something wrong.

"It's just…..This is the first time somebody's ever made me feel like a princess." I answered, still holding onto his hair.

He cocked his head, "Prince Eli. I like the sound of that," He whispered.

"Hmmm." I hummed. With my hands tangled in Eli's hair, I pulled him closer. My nose touched his cheek, his skin was cold, but his lips were warm. We moved our heads left and right in synchronization, our lips never parting. Then the wind starting blowing and Eli had to grip onto the window frame to make sure he didn't fall off the ladder, that's when our lips finally separated.

"Why don't you come on in," I said, more of a statement than a question. I stood up and pulled the window up more, so Eli could step in.


	10. Chapter 10

He held tight to the woodwork of my window as he pulled his left leg into the window, then his right. Then he was in. _Eli Goldsworthy was in my room._

He slid the window closed then turned around, "I see you're still wearing my Dead Hand shirt," He said with a smirk. He then ran his eyes from my head to my toes, I looked down, too. I forgot about how his shirt was so long that it covered my PJ shorts. I gave him a playful glare and pulled up the shirt a little, revealing purple flannel shorts; I then let the shirt fall back down to my thighs. Eli chuckled and walked to me, putting his arms around me, like he had done earlier. This time, though, I rested my hands on his biceps. Yet again, I felt as though I was floating.

I placed my cheek on his chest, and he laid his chin on the top of my head. We stood there, gently rocking back and forth. At that very moment, my parents could've walked in and nothing would make me pull away from him. His touch made me feel so free yet so secure.

"Thank you, Eli." I whispered, closing my eyes. I felt him lift his chin off of my head; I'm guessing he wanted a good look at my face.

"What for, blue eyes?" He asked, I could tell he was a little confused.

I smiled, "For today. For everything." I said softly. I opened my eyes to see Eli flashing me a wide smile. He took one of his hands from behind me and grasped my chin, pulling my face towards his. He kissed me oh so delicately yet with force.

His kisses were so icy hot. The first few seconds of our lips meeting, there's such a shockingly refreshing feeling. But then as he gets into it, his lips immediately warm up, causing heat to run through to my veins.

His fingers still lightly holding onto my chin, he pulled us away, yet close enough that our noses were touching. "You're welcome. I'd do anything for you, Clare." He spoke softly while I just stared into his eyes. Looking into Eli's eyes, it was like he was smiling with them. I don't know who was happier, me or him.

"Hey," He said, there was a tone of musicality in his voice, "Why don't we move this to your bed?" He asked. I moved my head away from his by a couple inches.

"Eli. I thought you knew I wasn't like that. I…"

He cut me off, "Clare, I know your beliefs. I was thinking we could just talk. Be close. I would never make you do something you weren't ready for."

I felt embarrassed for jumping to conclusions, my cheeks were blushing, "I'm sorry Eli, I didn't mean to-I know that you'd never force me into anything. Sorry." I said in a defeated voice, looking down at the floor.

He pulled my head back up with thumb under my chin, "It's okay! I probably could've worded that a little better," He said, squinting his eyes a little. I smiled at his easygoing attitude.

Eli then took my hand and led me over to my bed then let go and got onto my bed, using my headboard to support him. I just stood there, right beside my bed. He then tapped on the space next to him for me to join him.

"Okay, I will…But," I looked at my iPod Dock, it was 12:37, "But you have to go by 2. I've gotta get up early tomorrow for church, and I'll probably have to go to confession for having you up here…" I said.

He found this hysterical; I joined in with his contagious laughter, "Deal!" He replied.

I crawled onto my bed; His right arm was open, waiting for me. He was lying on his back, but I wanted to be able to look at his face so I laid on my side, turned towards him. He wrapped his arm around me, resting it on my hip. I placed my right hand lightly on his chest, occasionally moving it to and fro. My bare legs were intertwined with his which were just slightly bent. We were two pieces from two completely different puzzles that just happen to fit together perfectly.


	11. Chapter 11

Being there, so close to Eli, it felt like our own little piece of heaven. I felt so happy being cuddled up next to him. I could let my guard down around him, knowing he'd never hurt me. He was mine, and I was his. Simple as that.

We talked for a little while. It seemed like we never agreed on anything, but that left us with so much to talk about. We talked about school and how one day we'd have to thank Ms. Dawes for assigning us as English partners. We talked about past relationships, but Eli didn't seem to want to contribute much to that topic. Then he asked about the situation with my parents, and I told him they seemed to be getting better yet they still fought. I asked about his parents, which he usually didn't talk about. He told me about his dad and step-mom.

"Wait. _Step_-mom?" I asked, kind of shocked that I knew nothing of this. How has this never been brought up before now?

"Yeah. My dad just got remarried this year, that's why I moved to Degrassi." He answered. I had so many questions but I didn't want him to feel interrogated. But, there was just one thing I had to ask…

"If you don't mind me asking, what happened to your _biological_ mom?" I could sense his body tighten at the question. This had to be a touchy topic for him. I could tell he didn't talk about this a whole lot. He then let out a huge breath; I could feel his chest collapse under my fingers.

"My mom…" He used the term 'mom' loosely, "My mom left us when I was 4 years old. She just decided to pack up her things one night and when I woke up the next morning, she was…Gone." He added, taking another breath, "My dad blamed me for her leaving. He'd come home late at night, drunk. And he used to beat me up." He had mostly been looking up at the ceiling, but then craned his neck to look into my eyes.

It took a moment for that to sink in. _He used to beat me up, _Eli's words replayed in my head.

I first felt sorrow for him, but then I got angry; Angry that a father could beat up his only son. My brows furrowed, "Does he still….?" I trailed off.

"No. Well, not as much as he used to. He stopped after he met my now step-mom. She changed him. But a person can only change so much," He said. I then slid my hand from Eli's chest up to his neck, caressing it. He slowly closed his eyes and turned his head to the side, where my hand was.

"Did you know you're the only person I've ever told?" He asked, not looking for an actual answer. I smiled at the fact that he trusted me this much. I could see in his face that he was relieved to get this off his chest. He felt free.

"Thank you for telling me, Eli. And know that I'll always be here for you. You can tell me anything," I proclaimed. He nodded, hugging me closer to his body. From his neck, I reached a bit higher, resting my fingers through his hair. I then closed my eyes, slipping into a light sleep, feeling Eli's movements close to my body.

It seemed as though hours went by before I had heard Eli whisper my name. But my eyes were still shut. _Am I dreaming? _Eli then gently grazed my arm, lifting it off his body. I felt him getting off my bed.

"E-Eli." I whispered eyes still shut; I didn't have the strength to open them.

"Clare," He said my name again, "I have to go. Sweet dreams," He paused, "I love you." _Yeah, this sure felt like a dream._

I suddenly had enough strength to speak, "I love you too Eli."

Eli kissed my cheek and covered me with the blanket we had just been laying on. A couple minutes later, I heard my window slide up then back down. And slowly, the darkness engulfed me.


	12. Chapter 12

_Sundays. _They all started the same, waking up early for 8 o'clock mass. I did indeed ask forgiveness for having Eli up in my room so late, yet I didn't regret a minute we spent. Church went by slower than ever, I was exhausted from only 4 hours of sleep, but giddy at the same time. Mass was finally over, and soon enough me and my parents were on our way home. The whole car ride, they argued about how my dad had to go to work as soon as we got home. I just blocked out their voices, pulling my cell phone out of my purse. I texted Eli, hoping he'd be up already…

_Are you as tired as I am? :) _

I spent the rest of the ride home flipping my phone open, waiting for his reply. Let's just say, it was a long car ride.

My dad didn't even pull into the driveway when we got home, considering he would just be back on the road, on his way to work. My mom and I got out and made our way inside.

"Clare you hungry? We could make chocolate chip pancakes, like old times," She said with a hopeful grin. _Like old times. _Memories of me and my parents whipping up pancakes played through my mind like a slideshow. It was something we used to do every Sunday after church. I missed _those_ Sundays. 

"Yeah, mom. I'd like that," I replied with a smile.

When we got inside, we took off our shoes and coats. I made sure to bring my phone with me into the kitchen, still awaiting Eli's reply.

Making pancakes with my mom helped me worry just a little bit less that Eli hadn't replied yet. When done cooking the pancakes, my mom and I sat down at the table with our breakfast, reminiscing about old Sunday mornings. It was really nice seeing my mom laugh. The last time I remember her laughing was at that church fundraiser we went to. That seemed like ages ago.

After I was done eating, I got up from the table and put my plate in the sink, "Mom, I think I'm gonna go lie down. I had a hard falling asleep last night," I said, looking over to her.

"Alright, Clare. If you wake up and I'm gone, I'm probably out getting groceries," She told me, I nodded my head. I grabbed my phone off of the counter and headed upstairs. Once in my room, I flipped open my phone. _1 New Message _appeared on the screen. Eli just must've slept in or something. Once I opened up the message, my heart sunk. It was just Alli.

_Hey Clare, we haven't talked in a really long time. Girl's night this weekend? Txt me :)_

A girl's night did sound nice; I did have _a lot _to tell Alli. I replied with:

_Sure Alli, we have plenty to talk about!_

I tried to sound more excited and happy than I actually was. I was just getting a little concerned that Eli still hasn't replied. I wanted to call but decided to wait until after I took a nap. I didn't want to seem so anxious and desperate.

I changed out of my church clothes and got into Eli's tee-shirt. The spicy and woodsy scent of him was still laced into the soft cotton. Taking it in, I began losing consciousness.

What seemed to be only a few moments later, I awoke to the sound of my door creaking open. It was my mom. I felt so disoriented. When I had gone to sleep, the sun illuminated my room, and now it was pitch black. Then suddenly, my bedside light flickered on.

"Honey, sorry to wake you…But you've been sleeping for hours. I just wanted to check on you, are you feeling okay?" She asked, sitting down next to me on my bed. I just stared at her with furrowed brows.

"Wh—What time is it anyways?" I questioned, still not wrapping my head around the fact that I slept through the entire day.

"It's 7:34 honey," She answered, looking at the illuminated clock on my iPod dock. _7:34? Wow. _"Clare, do you want me to go reheat your dinner for you? You must be starving," She said. _FOOD. YES. _It'd been quite some time since I ate, pancakes aren't _that _filling.

I nodded my head violently, "Yeah! I am _so _hungry."

My mom smiled, laughing at my reaction, "Alright, come down for it in about 5 minutes." She said, walking out of my room.

I swung my legs to get out of bed, revealing my pale legs from under the covers. I got up and walked over to my closet for some pants, but something in my mirror caught my eye, I walked back to it. What I saw were flustered cheeks, messy hair, and a black Dead Hand shirt. Dead Hand…_Eli! How did I forget? Well, I did just wake up from like an 8 hour nap…_

I changed courses and sped over to my desk, where I had put my phone before falling asleep. I opened it up, nothing. _Nothing!_ _Okay Clare, maybe your message somehow got lost in that big text-sending cyberspace. Alright, now I was just acting paranoid. _During my little conversation with myself, I remembered my plan to call Eli after my nap. Simultaneously, I dialed his number. With every ring, my heart fell deeper and deeper into my stomach.

_Hey. Sorry, I can't come to the phone right now. Here's the beep, and if you don't know what to do with it…Well then you shouldn't be calling._

His obnoxious voice mail greeting would've made me laugh any other time then right now. _Where is he? _

"Hey, Eli. It's me. I tried texting you earlier, I don't know if you got it or not but," I took in a breath, "I wanted to talk. After last night, I just…." My mom called down for me. "Just, please call me back…And soon. Bye." I hung up, slamming my phone down on to my desk. I grabbed a pair of sweats and began down the stairs.

My thoughts were clouded with fury and worry, but mostly fury. I made hundreds of excuses to myself about why he never answered, none of them satisfying. I just ate in silence, taking out my anger on the baby carrots on my plate. Even though I was mad, there was something banging on the back on my head. Something had to be wrong.


	13. Chapter 13

I hadn't slept much that night. Maybe because I slept the whole day prior to, but probably because I couldn't shut my mind up. Before of all this, me and Eli usually talked daily…So why the sudden change? Just cause we're together now? _Are we together? Like exclusively? We never talked about it. _Right now, I don't know if we would ever get the chance to….I was so furious with Eli giving me the cold shoulder. It wasn't like I did anything wrong! _Or had I? _See, my thoughts have a mind of their own. I just really wish it'd be morning already so I could go to school and get to the bottom of all this. I don't even know how I'll approach Eli. I was mad at him, but I really believe he has a good reason for all this….Which worried me at the same time.

Well, an eternity went by and it was morning. I got out of bed and followed through with my regular morning ritual. Washed my face, put on what little makeup I wear, brushed my teeth, got dressed, ate breakfast, and got driven to school by my mom. I felt a tad robotic this morning, trying to shut out my emotions.

"Have a good day at school honey," My mom said, the first words to be spoken the whole ride.

I slightly smiled, "Thanks mom, and thanks for the ride." I got out of the car and headed up the stairs of Degrassi.

Once inside, I rushed to get to my locker, where Eli usually met up with me. I approached the hallway where my locker was…Turning the corner, I opened my eyes. _He wasn't there. _Okay, now things are getting really weird. We _always_ met up before school.

Walking down the hall towards my locker felt nearly impossible without him waiting there for me. Once I reached my locker, I opened it, which took me 4 times to get the combo right. I grabbed a couple books and put them in my bag, I slammed the door shut and slid down to the floor. A couple minutes later, Adam came over, joining me on the ground.

"Adam. Did you talk to Eli at all yesterday?" I asked, hoping he'd have some information for me.

Adam looked at me with clouded eyes, "Nn-No. I was actually just gonna ask you the same thing. We were supposed to meet up at The Dot yesterday but he totally flaked."

"Okay, something's up," I started. I had so much to tell Adam, "So on Saturday, Eli invited me over to hang out, and well…We finally took the next step in our relationship…"

Adam smiled, and threw his head back, "FINALLY!"

His reaction made me briefly smile, but then I got back to telling my story, "Yeah. He even came over late that same night and we just talked. And then…" Adam cut me off.

"Are you sure _all_ you did was talk?" He asked, tilting his head; a smug look on his face.

I glared at him, "Okay, we did other things too but we didn't do _that_!" I said, cracking a little smile. Adam laughed then nodded, allowing me to finish, "And then the next day…I heard _nothing _from him. And now he's not here," I said, motioning to my locker.

Adam sighed, and looked down at the tiled floor. I just twiddled my thumbs. Neither of us knew what was going on, and we were his best friends. I was his girlfriend, or at least that's what I think I am. If something was going on with him, we'd be the first people he'd come to. Or so we assumed. Then suddenly, the warning bell interrupted my thoughts. Adam stood up, offering his hand in helping me up. I took it and then we parted our ways for class. We'd see each other in a couple hours for lunch, not knowing if Eli would be there or not. One way or another, the day would come to an end and it'd be time for English. If he decided to attend, well that was up to him. But either way, I would find him. I'd find a way to see him. I will find out what's going on.


	14. Chapter 14

The first couple hours of school seemed to have gone by in slow motion. Like everyone was talking slow, moving slow, and thinking slow.

But once I made it through Media Immersion and Math, it was lunch time. The bell rang and I was on my way to my locker; exchanging some books and grabbing my lunch. I then walked out the front doors and towards _our_ usual picnic table. 'Our' being me, Adam _and _Eli. But today, only Adam was there. He looked so lonely without Eli sitting next to him.

Walking towards the picnic table seemed like an impossible task. Every time I thought I got closer, it felt like the table moved back 5 feet. _Was God punishing me? Did you put my life in slow-mo today? _I thought, looking up to the sky.

"What're you…Doing?" Adam asked. I brought my head back down and Adam was only inches away from me, I had already been sitting down. My thoughts just swirled around furiously.

"Woah…Ummm…Nevermind…." I stuttered.

"Ooookay?" He said, mocking my weird behavior. Can I help but talk to God in my head? Wow. _How often do I do this? _I thought, realizing I was doing it again.

"Umm, anyways…Did you see Eli at all in the halls or anything?" I asked, fidgeting with the brown paper bag my lunch was in.

Adam took a bite out of his cafeteria chicken nuggets, and shook his head no. After done chewing, he cleared his throat, "Here, I'll text him and ask where he's been. Not sure what good it'll do but it's worth a shot!"

I nodded, taking the sandwich out of the paper bag. I unwrapped it and took a huge bite. "Adam, I think we should go over to his house, after school? And see what's up." I looked over to Adam, who was intently looking off into the distance.

A moment later, he answered back, "Yeah! Good idea."

"Cool. I'll meet you at your locker after last hour and we can walk to his house," I said.

The rest of lunch, we just talked. Adam would occasionally ask questions about what exactly happened between me and Eli on Saturday…I ended up telling him everything except the talk me and Eli had about his parents. Even though Eli trusts Adam, I think Eli would want to be the one to tell Adam. Then the bell rang, warning us that next hour would be starting in 4 minutes. Me and Adam made our way inside, parting down different hallways, off to our next classes.

Out of the whole day, English class went by the slowest. Without Eli sitting in front of me, I could see the entire board. Would have to have to lean to the side, looking past his head of dark hair. Sometimes he'd purposely mimic my actions, causing giggles that usually got us in trouble. I didn't like it, I didn't like just sitting there, with everything out in the open.

I missed how he'd turn around to work with me during partner time. We'd pretend to discuss each other's papers, usually joking around instead. Lucky for me, Ms. Dawes didn't give the class any partner time today so I wouldn't be forced to work alone. Instead, she read aloud a passage out of the book we were reading as a class. I barely paid attention. I just looked down at my book, turning the page when I heard my classmates doing so. _I just want the day to be over ALREADY! _After I thought this, weird enough, the bell rang. _Thank you, God. Ha, I knew these voices would come in handy sooner or later..._I smiled to myself and shoved all my stuff in my bag, making my way to Adam's locker.

When I got there, I didn't have to wait too long for his arrival.

"You ready?" I asked him, making sure he wouldn't back out.

He smiled, "Let's do this."


	15. Chapter 15

"So how do you know how to get to Eli's house?" Adam asked as we walked on the sidewalk.

"Remember? I walked to his house on Saturday!" I replied, wiping the back of my hand across my forehead. It was abnormally hot out today. "And haven't you been to Eli's before?" I added.

"Umm, yeah….But my sense of direction and memory isn't as good as yours!" He said with a laugh, I joined in. I loved Adam, he was like the little brother I never had.

After about ten minutes of walking and talking, Adam and I reached the Goldsworthy home. I looked at the driveway suspiciously. Something was missing.

"Adam, Morty's gone." I pointed out.

"Okay, so he's not here. But we should still go knock on the door, see if his parents know where he is," Adam said. _Parents. _I really hoped that Eli's dad wouldn't be the one to answer the door. From what Eli told me about him, I was slightly afraid of him.

"Yeah, okay," I said, finally replying to Adam's suggestion. We then walked on the front lawn, finding our way to the front door. Adam and I looked at each other before he extended his arm, knocking lightly on the door. A moment later, the door opened. A younger woman in a colorful, body-hugging dressed appeared before us. Was _this_ Eli's step-mom? She had to only be in her early thirties! I can see why Eli had spoken about her with a bit of disgust in his voice…

She opened up her glossed lips to speak, "Hello! Can I help you?"

Me and Adam looked at each other once again, both of us with puzzled looks on our faces.

"Umm, yes. We're Eli's friends, Clare and Adam, and we were…We were just wondering if he was…Around?" I choked out.

Eli's step-mom squinted her eyes a little, "He hasn't come home from school yet."

"But he wasn't…" Adam began. I cut him off, elbowing his arm.

"Ohh, see we were just coming over because we..." I searched for the words, "We have a group presentation we were gonna work on," I said, Adam side glancing at me.

"Ahhh, so _you're _Adam_!_" She asked, making sense of something in her head. She looked at Adam's confused face and continued, "Eli said he went over to your house yesterday, said you guys had a huge project to finish up. Then he said you let him sleep over and that he'd get to school from there…That's where he was, right?" She asked, a hint of anger showing in her face.

"Yeah, totally!" Adam lied, going along with Eli's alibi. _How many secrets was Eli wrapped up in? _

The look on Eli's step-mom's face made me sense that there was something she wasn't telling us. I hated this. I hated this mystery. _I'm not Sherlock Holmes for Pete's sake!_

The new Mrs. Goldsworthy looked over her shoulder and shifted her weight, "Well, I've got to go. I'll tell Eli you came by." She said, shutting the door.

Adam and I turned around, and walked back down the lawn. We waited till we were far from Eli's house before we said anything. We were in a state of shock, confusion and anger.

I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding in, "What. The. Hell." Right now, I didn't care about my use of language. "Why'd he use you to hide behind?" I asked Adam, he just stared at me with a blank face. "I just don't get it. And did you get a feeling that she wasn't telling us something?" I began questioning.

Adam finally spoke, "Yes! And she so didn't seem old enough to have a 17 year old son..."

"That's because she's Eli's step-mom…" I somewhat blurted out. I didn't think Eli would mind me telling just that one piece of information to Adam. Besides, Eli would be the one with the explaining to do.

"Really? Dude, how come he didn't tell me?" He asked, not looking for an answer from me. "Clare, we gotta find him. Something bad must've happened. I just don't understand why he didn't tell us anything, if he knew we'd be involved."

My anger evaporated. I jumped to worse-case scenarios. Adam was right, something _really _bad must've happened. _God, please keep Eli safe…Where ever he is…_

I took a huge breath and gathered my thoughts. "Here, I'm gonna try calling him again," I said, pulling my phone out of my bag and dialing Eli's number. It immediately went to his voicemail. I took the phone from me hear and violently flipped it shut. "It went straight to voicemail." I paused, thinking. "He's been gone all day today and yesterday! His phone's probably run out of battery!"

Adam stopped walking, I did, too, walking back to him, "How are we supposed to help him if we can't even reach him?" He asked, staring at the cement sidewalk.

"I don't know Adam, I really don't know." I said, feeling the tears developing on the rims of my eyes.


	16. Chapter 16

When I got home that afternoon, I was so vulnerable that I felt like I would break down in tears at any moment. But I forced myself not to shed a single tear until I was up in my room, by myself. I ran up the stairs so fast to get to my room, not breathing the whole way up. Once I closed my bedroom door behind me, I slid down it, letting the tears gush down my cheeks. The tears made their journey down my cheeks and neck, staining my shirt. My breathing quivered, my heart raced unsteadily. I'm pretty sure this is what a heart attack feels like.

_Why must I always be wrapped up in such complicated guys? _I wasn't angry with Eli anymore, though. Now, I just worried about his well-being. _This is what happens when you get too attached to someone…._

I slumped on to my side, bringing my knees to my chest. I rested my soaked cheek on the soft carpet, continuing to cry. After who knows how long, I didn't have it in me to keep crying. I didn't have the strength to produce anymore tears. I felt like nothing was left in me. I felt hollow. I just laid there, occasionally sniffling my nose, awaiting the last of my tears to dry.

My eyes burned and my chest felt sore from quivering so much. I closed my eyes, now resting my head on my arm. I was so exhausted from that little episode that I fell asleep with 5 minutes…..

Something lightly jabbed my back, my eyes now shot open, looking up. I had forgotten that I fell asleep behind the door. _Not the best idea, Clare. _

"Clare, honey?" My mom said, peaking her head through the door as much as she could considering I was blocking it. I rolled over and stood up with my knees. My mom then opened the door all the way and came into my room. She turned on a light and sat on my bed, "Sweetie. What's going on?" She asked, looking at my face with confusion. My eyes must've been bloodshot. I got up and walked over to my mirror. I was honestly horrified when I saw my reflection.

"Umm. Mom, I just had a really bad day. I don't really want to talk about it right now." I told her.

She sighed, "I'm just worried about you. The last couple of days have been…..Weird." She said with concern.

"Believe me mom, I know. But I don't want to talk about it now." I said, in a somewhat demanding tone. My mom just looked at me, like she didn't recognize me.

"Okay. Dinner will be ready in about a half an hour if you want to come down and have any." She told me, closing my bedroom door behind her. Food was the last thing on my mind right now. All I could think about was how exhausted I still was after just taking a nap...And Eli. The fact that I had a ton of homework did cross my mind but didn't seem vitally important to me. I just crawled into bed, switching off the lamp that my mom had just turned on. The darkness helped me in quickly falling asleep….

A montage of Eli filled my head as I dreamed. I saw images of him when he first ran over my old glasses. When he dared me to scream out loud in public, him grabbing a hold on my wrists. When he came over my house to give me his headphones. When we kissed for the first time….The only reason I subconsciously knew I was dreaming was because I saw something that hadn't happened…yet. I a saw a blurry image of me and Eli holding each other tightly, slowly rocking to and fro in Degrassi's gym. It was a dance of some sort. Eli was in all black, except for the bright red blazer he was wearing. I was in some black and white polka dotted dress in which I'd never seen before. As my dream continued, Eli started pulling my head closer to his, going in for a kiss. But before our lips could touch, we faded into blackness and my ringtone forced my eyes open.

I turned my head, looking at my clock which read 11:02. If it was Alli wanting to tell me about some big fight her and Drew had or something….._God so help me._

But maybe it was _him_..._Clare. Don't get your hopes up._

Whoever it was must be calling so late for a reason, so I reached over my side table and grabbed my phone. The screen showed some unknown number. _But hey, I was already up. Might as well answer it. _I flipped open the phone and choked out a hello.

Whoever it was let out a deep breath before speaking…

"Blue eyes."

_Eli._


	17. Chapter 17

I didn't know what to say to him. So many different emotions and thoughts were running through my mind right now. The only thought that I could really keep straight was how great it felt to hear his voice...

"Uhh, Clare? Are you still there?" Eli asked. I still couldn't think of what to say. There were so many unanswered questions…

"Yeah. I'm still here." I managed to say. He must've thought I sounded like a complete moron…

Then, for a moment all I heard was Eli's light breathing on the other end.

"Hey, how are you calling me?" I asked, breaking the silence. That question had been banging in the back of my mind ever since I found out it was Eli calling.

"Ohh, uhh…" He said, laughing. How and why was he _laughing_? "Pay phone." He added.

I had nothing to say to that. I didn't want to say anything to that.

"Clare, I know you're probably really confused and furious with me…But I need you to listen to me…" He continued, awaiting my cooperation.

"Well you woke me up didn't ya? I kinda gotta listen." I said dryly. Eli laughed at my hint of sarcasm. _That laugh…._I could feel my heart crumble.

"I missed you Clare…And I'll explain all of this to you...I need to see you. Can you slip out and come meet me at the park?" He asked. _The park. _I knew exactly which park; it was the only one within a 10 mile radius of my house.

"Sure. I'll see you there in like 15 minutes?" I said, different emotions twisting inside my stomach.

"See you there. Thank you." He said, and then the line went dead.

For a minute, I couldn't move. I had to regain my thoughts before I could do anything.

I then finally forced myself to stand up and walk over to my dresser, pulling out a t-shirt, a pair of jeans, and a sweater. I looked in the mirror, deciding to ignore my unruly hair and puffy eyes from all the crying...Maybe Eli would then see what pain he caused. After my glance in the mirror, I grabbed my cell phone and a mini flash light I had in my side table drawer.

I quietly opened my bedroom door then closed it back shut. I crept towards my parents' room, making sure their lights were off, which they were. I then walked slowly down the stairs and to the front door, grabbing my house key off the kitchen table.

After slowly and gently opening up the front door, I relocked it and was on my way. I tightly held the flashlight, watching carefully where I stepped. A few house's outdoor lights were on, but they didn't provide much guidance through the darkness. I wouldn't be doing this for anyone but Eli. I hated the feeling of not knowing what was behind me. And with that thought, I started to pick up my pace. Just like my feet, my heart and thoughts began to race. _What did Eli need to tell me? What happened to him the past couple of days? _But soon enough, these questions would all be answered….

I clicked off my flashlight, for now, streetlights lit the park's sidewalk. In the distance I could see the open field next to the actual park. I saw Morty parked on the grass, close to the swing set. My eyes then traveled to the figure sitting on the short wood fence that contained the rocks around the park…

As I got closer, I realized Eli was looking down, picking at the grass. I stopped about 2 feet away from him.

"Hey." I said quietly but loud enough that he could hear me over the chirping crickets.

He waited a bit before lifting his head, like he was hesitant. When he finally did lift up his head, I gasped, taking a step backward…

A fading bruise on his left temple crept its way to the corner of his eye. An array of purple, yellow, and pink skin. My eyes then went to his lips. One side of his bottom lip was much puffier than the rest. There was also a faint yet prominent cut on his lip which extended to his cheek. Not like the cut when he and Fitz got into a fight…This was _much_ worse.

It took me a minute to regain any bodily function. When I did, I walked closer to Eli, kneeling down in front of him. Our eyes locked but I couldn't look at him long, not when he looked like _this_. I tried looking elsewhere but something caught my eye. I couldn't see it before, because me and Eli hadn't been at eye level….

I took my thumb and index finger and ever so lightly tilted Eli's head to the side. Four thick, red lines stained his neck. Finger marks. I could tell they were fading, but they stood out so much on Eli's pale skin. I quickly pulled my hand away, resting it on Eli's knee instead. I still couldn't look at him without wanting to ball my eyes out, so I just looked off to the side.

"Eli. Ww-What…." My voice stuttered, "What happened to you?"

He took a breath then took my hand in his, our interlocked fingers resting on his knee.

"Clare. Do you remember on Saturday night when I came up to your room to see you?" He paused, I nodded, still not looking at him, "Do you remember….Do you remember how I told you my dad used to get drunk and he'd beat me up?" He asked. I finally turned to him. I began to piece things together, but some things were still a bit fuzzy. Eli looked at my puzzled expression and continued, "When I got home that night, it was around 4 o'clock or so…I thought my dad would have been asleep by then but…" He said unsteadily. I could tell this was hard for him to replay in his head. "But when I got inside, he was waiting for me. With a beer in his hand…..He had been drinking a lot more than usual, and he….Kicked me…And he, I just…" Eli's voice quivered off, tears filling his green eyes. He blinked and the tears poured down his rosy cheeks. I went with my free hand to wipe them, but hesitated. I didn't want to touch his bruised face, but he slightly nodded his head, allowing me to wipe off the tears.

"I'm…I'm so sorry," I whispered, my voice cracking. Something suddenly popped into my head… "What about your step-mom? You said that she 'changed' your dad…Didn't she stop him?" I asked.

Eli looked down again, "She tried. But he threatened to hurt her too if she tried anything…Besides, I didn't want her involved. I didn't want her to get hurt too…" He said, sniffling his nose.

"Eli…." I said softly, at a loss of words once again. I squeezed his hand, and he did the same. Looking into Eli's eyes, I could feel his pain. It was like by connecting with his eyes, I could feel everything he felt. It was such a strong and intense connection. I couldn't do it anymore, I couldn't contain my tears. Eli looked at me with cloudy eyes. "I'm sorry." I said, quickly wiping my eyes. I felt embarrassed breaking down like this in front of him.

He retracted his hand from mine, patting his thighs, "Come here."

I stood up, tears still unsteadily flowing from my eyes and sat down on Eli's lap. I wrapped my arms around his neck and nestled my neck in the crook between his neck and shoulder. His skin was warm. And now wet due to my tears. Eli wrapped his arm around me, the other rubbing my thigh. His hold sent electricity through my body.

"Clare. I don't want you to feel like you have to apologize. None of this was your fault. I'm just sorry that you have to go through it with me…" He said in one breath.

I leaned my head away from his body, his head turned toward me now, "I'd say that I'm lucky compared to what you had to suffer through." More tears gently overflowed from my eyes. Eli ran his thumb under my eyes, our foreheads now touching.

I didn't have anymore tears left in me. I closed my eyes to soothe the burning sensation. I could feel Eli's warm breath on my face. The warmth helped me in calming down, my muscles relaxing in Eli's arms. All of a sudden I didn't feel Eli's breath but his lips instead. His kiss was tender yet gentle. We pulled away, yet our foreheads still touching.

"I'm kinda mad at you, though," I whispered. My eyes were still shut, but I could feel his brows furrowing in confusion, "I texted you Sunday morning…And you still haven't replied." I added, softly giggling. Eli relaxed, laughing along with me.

"Maybe this could make up for that?" He asked, pressing his lopsided lips to mine.

This kiss was a lot more forceful than the previous one. Our heads gently moved back and forth, without our lips ever parting. I thought that was pretty steamy on its own, but what Eli did next was even _steamier... _

His tongue caressed my bottom lip, asking for entrance. I reluctantly allowed, our tongues meeting for the first time. They danced in coordination, I following his lead.

I then had to pull away. I couldn't handle _that much _in one breath. My breathing was unsteady, my heart racing at light speed.

I then slowly opened my eyes. A lopsided smile was planted on Eli's face, his eyes twinkling.

I smiled too, "You're forgiven."


	18. Letter from the Author

**Letter from the Author**

Hello my wonderful fans! I'd like to take this time to thank all of you and I also have some news!

First off, I cannot tell you how much all of you mean to me. Your reviews inspire me to keep writing my Eclare fanfiction. You guys all seem so loving and supportive! You love Eli and Clare _almost _as much as I do ;)

I love hearing from you, _all _of you. Your thoughts on my writing are so positive and it really makes me feel…._Special, _to say the least. I love it when I open up my email and see 6 new messages from Fanfiction, some reviews, some subscriptions and others favorites. And I'd like to thank all of you again for that.

Secondly, I have some news pertaining to my Eclare story! I've decided to write An Eclare Story in different parts. What I mean by that is what I've written so far, that is part 1 of my story. I'm gonna be writing A LOT of new chapters which will (physically) put into a different fanfic which will be called An Eclare Story Pt. 2. But fret not, they will indeed be the same story. Everything you've read so far will be brought over into part 2.

I really like how I ended the last chapter, I felt like that needed to be the end. BUT I also felt like I had so much more to tell. And it seems like a lot of you wanted me to continue on with this story, so this is how I decided to do it :)

The first few chapters will probably be up some time this week! So if you wanna make sure you know when it comes out, you may want to add me in the author subscription area! Unless you want to come onto Fanfiction everyday and check for the second part ;)

Again, thank you guys. Luv ya :)


End file.
